Ionia / Irelia's POV
She could not control them, they rolled through her cheeks, as she laid with her back on a tree, clutching the transmitter to her chest, trying desperately to regain her composure. She couldn't remember ever feeling as sad and empty. She could hear some soldiers calling her, but she couldn't manage to even speak as emotions flooded her, thankfully a familiar voice rang through the crowd.
"Everyone back to your positions, the general needs some space" Karma shouted as now Irelia could hear everyone retreating.
Calm steps were approached her position, she hid her face between her legs not wanting to show her current state, failing at any attempt to control herself. She could sense how a presence stood beside her for a second, soon after, Karma sat beside her. She then felt a surprisingly strong grip from two arms as Karma kissed her head and began rocking her gently with her embrace. In that moment everything broke, all this years of having to be brave, all this years of bottling her emotions, all her life needing to be strong for others vanished as a pained scream escaped her mouth and tears rolled themselves to Karma's shirt, who continued to hug her tightly between her arms, and will continue to do so for as long as she needed it.
Seconds came, then minutes, as tears and shouts became nothing more than quiet sobs and quick breaths. She could feel Karma's hand running through her hair, as her other arm was still holding her close.
"It's not fair" she finally managed to say having calmed down enough to open her eyes. "I want more time to be happy, I don't want this anymore" she added as she pushed her head once again in Karma's shoulder.
She felt Karma stiffen a bit, as she stayed silent, until drops of water began falling on her head, and knew her trusted friend began to cry. "I know beautiful, I know. This can be a cruel world sometimes". She began saying with a calm tone, "You really liked your time there didn't you?" she added as Irelia lifted her head to meet her eyes and a small smile crept on her face.
"It was the best, I can't remember the last time I was that happy" Irelia said as she shifted herself to look up into the sky.
"It was amazing for me too you know, I could get used to the idea of having Jayce by my side", Karma added as a small laugh escaped her.
"Yes, I could too" she said as she held the pearl in her bracelet making it shine.
"It's not over yet, there is no reason to doubt ourselves, we are people of Ionia, we have survived everything that has ever threaten us, we will stand victorious for our people and for our future". Karma said as she looked Irelia in her eyes. "If I heard well you promised that you'll meet again didn't you? I never regarded you as someone to break a promise". Karma finished with a hint of a playful tone and a smile.
Irelia was smiling as she nodded in acknowledgement, finding truth in the words of her friend. "We have to be prepared, Ionia will prevail" Irelia said as now Karma was smiling.
"That's my girl" she said kissing Irelia's head.
"Thank you, for everything Karma" she said as they both stayed a while longer under that tree taking a couple more minutes to breathe and relax.
Ionia / Two days later
Irelia was constantly asking herself if fate could be more heartless, they've been training for the past two days and just recently finished evacuating every women, children and elder to a corner on the island. Since the evening, tremors had been a frequent occurrence, giving Irelia and the high command enough information to believe that the monsters had already reached the island, and were making their way towards the volcanic mountain. What no one could have anticipated was the intense lightning storm roaring and pouring an impressive amount of rain as all forces of Ionia stood patiently behind their commanders. For two days they erected a wall on their flanks with everything they could get their hands on, be it trees, rocks or piled dirt. at the center of all was a space where soldiers stood in lines.
Irelia stood in front of their forces, next to the other generals and the commander of Ionia. Close to them she could see the order of ninjas, as well as a fox like creature. Complete blackness covered the horizon as their torches and magic spells could only illuminate a couple of meters before them, they all had to wait for lightning to flash and show the entirety of the landscape for mere seconds, as thunder rumbled inside everyone's chests. No one made a sound and for a few hours everyone stood there, patiently waiting under the rain and cold, always ready to follow orders, this was their home, and they will all protect it.
It wasn't until a sudden growl was heard through the stormy night and a minor earthquake rumbled through the feet of the soldiers that something other than raindrops clashing against metal could be heard, as voices rang through the crowds of warriors preparing for what was sure to come.
Irelia began to feel nervous, her blades danced close to her announcing her readiness, then a sudden tremble was felt again under their feet as it was constant and light, Irelia knew that sensation as she had faced it before, just then a sudden lightning flashed upon the sky revealing a swarm of monsters, thousands of them descending through the edge of the mountain.
"Everyone prepare!" shouted the commander of Ionia to his generals urging them to prepare the soldiers.
Irelia could see fear in the faces of those who were lined up, each and every single one of them were holding their weapons with both hands as their knees trembled and eyes darted from one place to another.
Sensing that they were panicking she decided to speak her mind, "Warriors of Ionia, the time has come to protect our home! To protect the land that gave us life and to protect all of those who we care. Today is the day were we fight for our fate and of those around us!" she screamed as loud and direct as she could, "Today we shall prevail, today we shall choose our future and that of others", she finished the last sentence sensing a now confident facade of the soldiers who her voice was able to reach, she turned her back as another lightning revealed their foes 100 meters away. She readied her blades, as a second later the commander shouted with all he had.
"Mages and archers fire!" the general commanded as hails of arrows and spells rained towards the upcoming foes diminishing their numbers as bodies began to fall far out, a second later repeating with the same strength in his voice he shouted. "FOR IONIA!" for when his shout finished the wall of monsters clashed against the army.
The first clash was gruesome, the mindless creatures were nothing more that raw muscles with the single objective of killing and chewing down all that came into their path. Even so, the front line managed to stay strong as lances, swords and shields bashed against the creatures. Everyone knew their role the monsters will most certainly continue advancing towards those who couldn't protect themselves if they left an opening on the barrier. Because of that lines of several soldiers were stacked one upon another with the sole objective to stop any monsters from passing through.
Arrows flew in the stormy sky, magic spells were shot consecutively, blades and mandibles tore through flesh as the cries and growls of soldiers and beasts, combined with thunder was all everyone could hear. Through the incessant wave of monsters Irelia could not help to watch towards the mountain path every time a lightning gave her a chance, every time she hoped to see the wave stop, the last of what they had to face on the horizon, but to no avail as the overwhelming quantity of monsters did not recede but instead seemed to increase, contrary to her forces which with every passing minute seemed to decrease in numbers.
Cries, screams, pleas of help echoed all around her, her chest filled with anger, nervousness, and desperation as each of her blades continued to cut through her enemies, until a familiar growl filled hers and every soldiers ears. She knew what was coming as the shaking of the earth began to feel increasingly stronger. She sliced more and more monsters until it appeared, the same monster he and Dom defeated, approaching slowly as an armored vehicle shaking earth and inflicting terror on those who could see it. There was no doubt about what its presence had inflicted on her soldiers as a quick look back revealed terror in those close to her, they were losing both mentally and physically. She had to do something, and she knew it, they would not last if hope was not on their side, they needed support and she could only think of one way to obtain it.
Hesitation never crossed her mind as she began sprinting towards the darkness, cutting and making his way through the thick mass of creatures. She had decided, she was going to defeat the monster before it reached the line of soldiers, she had to show them they were powerful, and they could be victorious.
"Irelia wait!" she heard Karma scream at her back, but she never turned or acknowledge her command, her decision had been made as she readied her blades.
With all of her might she jumped towards the golem like monster, evading his initial strike and landing in one of his arms, she didn't wait for anything as two blades were shot directly through the joint in his leg causing the monster to ground himself on one knee before jumping again evading another attack shot from the arm she was standing. There was only one chance, as she knew once the eye opened, she would have no chance in beating this monster alone. Calling her blades to her she gathered all of her strength in her legs and leaped upwards as once again the monster's powerful bash landed on the floor a second later where she had been standing. Using her momentum she landed in his shoulder and with one swift motion and a little help from the monsters movement backflipped through the air positioning herself just upwards from the monster as she readied her blades.
"Come on! Open it!" she screamed internally as she began to descend, and just as fast the eye opened, and as fast as she could react, her blades launched forward with all the speed she could possibly achieve. All of them pierced through the soft membrane of the eye and wreaked havoc inside him, the monster then let out a pained scream and fell forward spilling the contents of his insides on the ground, as Irelia landed on top of him commanding her blades to quickly return and preparing to move back, she was at least 30 meter away from the front lines.
She was preparing to jump off the corpse of the deceased monster when a sudden growl far louder than the one made from that one which lied on her feet chilled the blood in her body and that of all Ionians. The earth began shaking and crumbling for just 10 meters before her the ground cracked and a massive serpent like creature raised up squashing and sending the surrounding monsters and Irelia feet off the ground and into the air as his massive frame presented itself in front of all the Ionian warriors.
She froze completely, flying through the air with her back to the ground and her eyes focused only on the creature in front of her, after a second her world shook violently, and her vision blurred as numbness spread through her body. There was no strength to lift herself up, her vision was filled with that creature, as what seemed to be tentacles started to rise as its eyes focused in her, seemingly ready to launch an attack. This was the end, she repeated herself as tears rolled down her cheeks. She stopped looking at the beast and instead focused con the pearl latched onto her bracelet, rubbing it a few times to produce what she could say was the most beautiful light she had ever seen, a smile spread across her face as she looked up ready for her fate.
*BOOM
A cannon shot was heard and suddenly the sky was illuminated by a flare so big and bright that the serpent like monster flinched as well as the horde of creatures, visibly perturbed by the shining light.
She was seeing it, shining above all, her heart began racing, heat spread to her cold body, as hope filled her mind, she then looked up and saw it, eyes now watering as she held her breath.
The sky / 30 min earlier
He was not afraid, there was no time for that as he stood in front of the ship, not caring about the wind, the rain or the cold.
"10 degrees to the east Cait!" he shouted as the sheriff obeyed passing the message to the other ships as the fleet now changed its course.
"How do you know where to go?!" Vi shouted under the rain and thunder as for almost two days they had followed his directions, something that led them recently through a storm.
"I can sense her!" he shouted "Keep going straight!" he commanded once more.
"How!?" Vi shouted once again now visibly annoyed.
"She… she has a part of me, I can sense where it is" he answered still looking forward, almost on the edge of the ship.
"Figueres" Vi said understanding what he said as she covered her head with both gloves.
At that a sudden squeaky voice came through the transmitter every official had on their ears. "My explosives are not meant to withstand water for long periods of time! If this keeps up, they won't work later" the eccentric yordle shouted, visibly annoyed that his stash could be ruined for nothing.
"We are almost there! Everyone prepare to descend" Dom shouted ignoring the yordle's complains.
They lowered themselves from the high clouds towards the ground, there was no telling in all this darkness where the land was, all they had was Dom's knowledge for where they had to go. As the fleet descended Dom took a step on the ship's edge rail and looked straight down. He knew they were almost there and suddenly he saw a flash of light and a complete confirmation that Irelia was down there.
"They are down there! Cait shoot the flare!" he commanded and without delay the cannon in front of the ship exploded sending a bright light into the sky, meant to last for minutes. He then saw it, he forgot how to breath and stared with wide eyes at the figure standing in front of Irelia's light, he could see that the creatures were starting to surround that giant monster and will soon reach her.
"WHAT IS THAT!" Vi shouted as the rest of the crew of all ships watched the creature.
Cait left the wheel to one of the soldiers and approached the rail to see the monster she starred for a couple of seconds at the scene until she saw a spec of light just in front of the massive creature.
"Wait! That's!" she exclaimed knowing well the source of the light, looking up just to find Dom, sword in hand and hair glowing. "DOM!" Cait shouted with all her might as he turned around, eyes full of light, and after a second, he jumped.
He could feel the wind cutting though his body, as gravity made him fall faster and faster. Determination, conviction, willpower flowed through his body his sword grew in size until it reached its maximum length. He had to protect her, he had to get the future he wanted. Instincts took over he pointed his sword downwards holding it with two hands, and shouted with everything he had.
"SPEED IS MY POWER!"
"MY BODY IS MY BLADE!"
"MY WILL IS MY GUIDANCE!"
"MY LIGHT IS YOURS!"
As his last words echoed through the sky a lightning strike reached him and all its power was redirected through his blade downwards. In an instant Dom shot his body through the column of light, passing through the head of the gigantic creature blowing it up into a million pieces, creating in his landing a crater as the body of the beast fell backwards squashing hundreds of the creatures. Stunning silence, and open mouths were for a couple of seconds all everyone could muster for what they had just witnessed.
Dom emerged from the crater as fast as he could and ran towards Irelia, he needed to know if she was alive, he could see that she was now trying to lift herself up with one hand but failing to do so. He looked back to see that the horde was now past the giant snake corpse, he didn't have a lot of time, upon reaching her Dom kneeled down, he took her face, checked her arms and legs by squeezing them, all while Irelia's gaze never left his face. Now that he was sure she was not gravely injured, he quickly picked her up and began running towards the army.
"Call your blades" he said as Irelia snapped for a second out of her trance and called them as Dom kept running.
It was such a strange sight for her as she was currently in his arms, so close to him as light still lingered in his hair and eyes. Once they got behind the barrier of soldiers he stopped to set her on her feet, not wasting any time he got one hand on an ear piece as instructions soon followed.
"Cait go ahead! Execute the plan!" he said while looking at the sky.
"Roger" came through the ear piece as the fleet made its way towards the volcano.
Taking now a chance to look at Irelia Dom dissipated the energy from his eyes and hair as he joined his forehead with hers never breaking eye contact as they both were so close to each other, he then proceeded to cup his hands in her neck and started to stroke her cheeks with his thumbs.
"I… I'm so glad you are safe" he said as Irelia grabbed his face.
"It's really you" she said as a smile and laugh escaped because of the intense happiness she was feeling.
"Yes" he said now smiling again, "I promise I won't leave you alone again" he said as both of them took that sentence with seriousness, then a second later explosions began to shake the earth as the fleet began to unleash bombs upon bombs on top of the mindless creatures while they made their way forward.
Sensing now that the enemy's clashed again the frontline Dom separated from Irelia, let his hair shine again, and gave a small nod to Irelia, which now had her blades on her side and a serious look on her face.
"Let's finish this" Dom said as Irelia nodded and proceeded to the front lines of the army.
Reaching the front line brought a new scene, now thanks to the bombing being made by the fleet the volume of monsters was fewer than before, that and such an eccentric individual with a police suit and exploding gloves seemed to be enjoying herself punching the creatures with her enormous gloves, creating a shockwave with each strike that practically evaporated those that were behind her target. As the warriors kept fighting Irelia couldn't help but look at something that dangled from two of the ships by long cables, but due to the distance she could only see the outline which resembled a box with a pointy end.
"Dom! What is that?!" she shouted to him as another monster fell to her blades.
"That's the plan! It's a giant drill!" Dom shouted as smile crept in his face seeing Irelia's confusion. "We have to kill them from the root! It's the only way to stop them, there are too many!"
Then it hit her, the sudden realization of his words, that is why they were going straight to the volcano's opening, a sudden influx of adrenaline and happiness fueled her body, and anticipation burned every cell in her body.
Taking a break as the others continued to fight Dom spoke through his ear piece again "Cait what's the status, I've lost sight of you" he asked to confirm the plan was going according to plan.
"We are on top of them ready to drop the drill!" she shouted as the wind and rain fell, the aircrafts shook and moved violently, Caitlyn knew there was only one chance so they couldn't miss. Ordering the other ship to advance on the direction opposite to her they began to create tension on the cables, as they stretched the drill began to stabilize and point straight down as the plan had anticipated. Without a moment of hesitation, Caitlyn pressed a button on the remote in her hands starting the drill's head which began spinning, she then pressed another one, which released the heavy machine, and as fast as she could pressed the last button, commanding the drill to turn on its engines and dropping straight down the black whole where the creatures were emerging. "Everyone, full power on the engines, we need to leave!" she shouted as the ships began to turn around becoming again visible to those in land.
Once the ships appeared again Dom knew that the time was near, if Heimerdinger's and Jayce's estimates were correct there would be a massive earthquake, that or the island will explode, but Dom choose to believe in the first option as he shouted with all his might.
"Everyone! Stand strong the earth is going to shake!" at that sentence many of the generals and soldiers were a bit perplexed but nonetheless obeyed the directive as everyone took a wider stance.
Dom could hear from his communicator the same squeaky voice from a certain yordle as he showed his excitement at the idea of what was going to happen. Then there was a sudden tremor that shook everyone on land causing many to tumble to the ground, but many others were able to withstand it. Wide eyed glances were shot between everyone as the earth didn't stopped to shaking, everyone's breath stopped when suddenly the cries of what had to be thousands of voices shot through the volcano's entrance as after that, a giant pillar of fire shot through the air forming a massive ball of fire with the shape of a mushroom illuminating the entirety of the island for a couple of seconds, then as the earth shook again, the volcano erupted, spitting hot lava high in the air and its surroundings. Taking advantage of the sudden silence of most of the army Dom spoke as deep and loud as he could.
"Ionians! This is the last wave, stay strong! Victory is near!"
His words ran through the army, war cries erupted through every soldiers voice as adrenaline began to warm their bodies and a new source of energy surged upon them. As Dom had predicted all of the remaining thousands of monsters that had escaped the explosion and lava came directly towards their position, they just had to hold them off. From that point onward everyone kept slashing, and fighting with all their might, snipers on the ships helped those on the ground as bombs had already ran out. At some point rain had stopped falling and continuous shots from the ships flares to illuminate the sky stopped being necessary.
Everything continued to play as a repetition until suddenly Dom slashed a monster in front of him, quickly taking a stance for the next one, only to find out that there was no more movement in front of him. He looked to the sides as the remaining monsters were quickly dispatched by the soldiers until they all stared in silence weapons still drawn and breathing heavily.
Dom retracted his sword he began to breathe as deep as he could, exhaustion took his part on his body as his muscles were full of cramps, using energy through his whole body took a lot of effort, something that didn't came without consequences. Soon enough he took a normal stance, in front of him, ships had already landed, and Caitlyn ran in his direction stopping just in front of him, then suddenly he took her rifle from her back and with one swift movement nailed Dom in the stomach with the stock, in front of the gazing eyes of all the Ionian military who just stared silently as the event unfolded before their eyes.
"Why in the world would you jump like that! You didn't know you could do that! That was suicide!" Caitlyn began to shout as Dom did his best to look remorseful so she would let him off the hook.
"Come on cupcake, that was soooo cool! The way you shot through the sky and blew up that monster to pieces! Man, that was something else wasn't it Irelia?" Vi ended her sentence making Dom turn around to look at the blade warrior, who without waiting took a step closer and hugged him fiercely.
"It was amazing" she said as she rested her head on his shoulder, causing Dom to smile and her two companions to give him a smirk and a raised eyebrow.
"Ahem" they all heard suddenly as a big man stood tall and proud, armor full of purple blood just as them.
"Commander!" Irelia suddenly said as she separated from Dom and gave a slight bow of her head, replicated by the rest of them.
"At ease general" he said with a soft tone, as the face inside his helmet showed a small smile. Turning to face Dom, Cait and Vi he proceeded. "We as people of Ionia have always strived towards peace and calm, we removed ourselves from all other nations ever since war was brought upon our land, thinking that we alone could withstand whatever fate decided we should face" he took his helmet of his head keeping his gaze on all three of them. "I don't want to imagine what our fate would have been today if not for you" he then threw his helmet on the ground, and kneeled in front of them, action which was soon emulated by all men and women behind him, as helmets began to sound again and again on the ground. "On behalf of the people of Ionia, Thank You for Saving Us!" He finished as he lowered his head and every single soldier did the same.
Shock ran through all of them as Dom suddenly felt Irelia cling to him again, tears of what he considered happiness running across her cheeks, muttering her thanks again and again. Besides him Caitlyn stood tall and mighty, she was certainly enjoying the show of respect, and Vi seemed to be squirming a little.
"Hey cupcake, this is giving me the creeps" she whispered low enough for only her to hear and smile at the remark.
"Just enjoy it will you, hahah" Caitlyn remarked as a full-blown smile crept on her face.
Having paid his respects, the commander rose to his feet as his eyes rested on the team. At that moment Irelia nudged him on the ribs causing him to jump a bit and look at her.
"Say something they are waiting" she eyed the general and everyone else.
Dom was certainly not prepared for this sudden situation as he nervously grabbed the back of her head and said whatever came to his mind.
"No problem!" he said quickly earning a sudden shock to his ribs again. "I.. I.. mean it was nothing, too.. uhhh… help… ehhh anytime?" he finished as now Caitlyn was massaging the top of her nose with a scowl and Vi was holding hers close trying desperately not to laugh out loud, and Irelia had a cute pout on her face.
Suddenly a laugh coming from the general rose through the air as many others began to follow his example. Now also laughing, Dom rose his fist in the air and shouted, "We won!" after those words everyone began jumping and hugging each other as laughs and cheers spread through the crowd.
The rest of the day was full of work, for hours every available pair of hands began to pile up bodies of countless creatures as they were then burned to prevent any further harm to Ionia. Bodies of the fallen soldiers were collected and given the proper funeral by Ionian standards, after that everyone was allowed to rest for a while, the only thing left to do was a meeting between generals and commanders to discuss details of the future with the heroes.
That could wait a bit Dom thought as Irelia and him were now on their way to a hill which she wanted to show him. This was a new experience for him as Irelia was refusing to let his hand go while they ascended the hill. Upon reaching the top Dom marveled at the sight that was before his eyes, there was a clearing that extended for a couple of meters in front of them, there was a slight slope on the terrain, which dropped abruptly forming a cliff. The ground was mostly covered with grass and flowers, on his left there was a big and tall tree, for it's large branches were the only thing that stood between millions upon millions of visible stars that shined throughout the sky. Irelia was smiling widely as Dom's eyes and face showed the awe of the scenery, something that she had come to love and visit frequently when she wasn't training.
"So? What do you think? It's beautiful isn't it?" she asked as expectant eyes shined upon his.
"Yes, it is, but nothing compared to you" he answered with a smile as Irelia visibly blushed, her cheeks gaining a tint of red. Dom knew that this was an opportunity that he couldn't let pass as he grabbed both of her hands in his and turned to face her directly. Thanks to the slope on the terrain they were now on the same height, their eyes met for a couple of seconds fully immersing in each other's presence before Dom continued to speak. "After we finished our first battle, my brain turned to mush as the most beautiful image that my eyes have ever seen was coming straight to me" Dom said as he tightened his grip on her.
"If I remember correctly, I punched you on the stomach, sorry" Irelia flashed smile.
"Well I mean you left a strong first impression, hahah" Dom took a step closer to her. "Since that day seeing you became something so important to me, nothing but you fills my mind every second we were apart. I want to see you smile, hear your voice, touch your hands, I love you Irelia, I love you with all that I am" just as he finished saying that, they both closed the distance between each other, as their faces drew even closer and their lips touched, filling both of them with happiness as sparks flew through their bodies, for just seconds later their lips parted and they both looked at each other's eyes.
They lasted like that for a while not willing to move and break this moment until Irelia raised her hands gripping his neck, "I love you too" she said jumping and kissing him again. Thanks to her sudden launch Dom stumbled backwards, thankfully landing on the tree with his back to it as Irelia kept her arms across his neck unwilling to separate from him. Forgetting everything and anyone they shared kisses between one another, enjoying every second of their time together.
Ok, this took less than I anticipated, well, I'm planning to write two more chapters (all fluff because I love fluff, and a lemon, because, why not?, I want to try it :P) I do have sort of like an "arc" that will complete the explanation of the war with the void and Dom's powers, but I don't know if I should continue for much longer, so I'll leave it for now. Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did.